In the polarized world of American politics, there has never been a time as divisive as the Trump presidency. For those of us who experienced events like 9/11 and the Iraq War, we never thought the political landscape could deteriorate this much, but we were wrong. During the Trump era, both partisans on the left and the right have lost their composure. Trump Derangement Syndrome, or TDS, emerged, and now we find ourselves in a perpetual state of overly emotional political rhetoric and animosity that we have never seen before in the political sphere.
For us Christians, truth and honesty are of utmost importance. Living as a Christian means embodying our biblical ethics openly in society, sometimes in defiance of prevailing norms. Our commitment is to the truth, which often requires us to gather factual information. What is a filibuster, and where did the term originate? The word comes from the Spanish term “filibustero,” meaning “freebooting,” and originally referred to the piratical privateers of the 16th century. It eventually entered English to describe irregular military adventurers, such as the Americans involved in Latin American insurrections during the 1850s. By the mid-1800s, “filibuster” began to be used in a political context. A notable example occurred in 1957 when Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina spoke for over 24 hours—the longest individual filibuster on record—in an unsuccessful attempt by Southern senators to obstruct civil rights legislation. This connection between the longest filibuster and opposition to civil rights is concerning, and many on the political left are aware of it. This brings us to the Senator from the great state of New Jersey.[1]
If ever was the term “boob” more pertinent for foolish men than the Spartacus of the left: Cory Booker. Many remember his foolish attempt at speaking Spanish during the 2020 presidential primary races or his ill-fated attempt at declaring himself “Spartacus” during the Kavanaugh Senate hearings. This moron has become the leader of the Democrat party, and his antics never cease. He recently used the political turmoil known as the Trump second term to yet again propel himself to the forefront as a voice of the resistance.
This week, America was once again distracted by a grandstanding senator who loves the limelight. Cory Booker sought attention and disrupted the US Senate by compelling his emotional thoughts unto the voting public. Richard Cowan of Reuters writes about Booker: “The 55-year-old New Jersey lawmaker, in a speech that began at 7 p.m. ET on Monday and went on for 25 hours and five minutes, criticized the crusade by the Republican president and his billionaire top adviser Elon Musk to slash large swaths of the federal government.”[2] To those who lack knowledge on the subject, this may appear to be something special or an act of heroism, but that perspective is misguided. The left often employs a strategy that prioritizes emotional persuasion and victimization over effective governance or education. Does anyone on the left truly understand the purpose of filibusters? Allow me to clarify.
Filibusters might have a theatrical component to it, but it’s purpose is for strategic political gain. “A filibuster is a parliamentary procedure where debate over a proposed piece of legislation is extended, allowing one or more members to delay or entirely prevent a vote on the proposal. It is most commonly used in the United States Senate as a tactic to block or delay legislative action.”[3] What political gain did Cory Booker use his filibuster for? It appears for attention and yet another attempt to paint himself as a victim of Elon Musk.
To the politically savvy, this was not even a filibuster by the most lenient of definitions. Nur Ibrahim rightly points out, “Booker was not speaking to delay or oppose a particular bill, as a filibuster requires. His stated intention was to disrupt ‘business as usual’ on the Senate floor and express Democratic opposition to Trump, expressing concern about the federal government’s budget cuts on education, medical research, social security, health care and more.”[4] It is quite amusing to see Booker attempting to filibuster legislation that was never presented. He was not causing any disruption; instead, he was merely grandstanding and talking excessively about victimization, once again.
You see, unfortunately, the Democrat party is lost, and instead of regrouping and re-evaluating themselves, they do what they always do: go on the offensive. By attacking Elon and Trump, they think they are persuading the American voter that this administration is oppressive and tyrannical. Most level-headed voters know this not to be the case and rightly view this stunt as nothing more than theater, which it is. Where is the leadership on the left, true leadership that cares more for the people than using the people to exploit celebrity? The answer is that right now, it does not exist.
This article is not to defend the right, nor is it to extol the virtues of the Trump administration. This platform was created to educate the local Church and give global Christianity the right way to view these instances through a biblical lens. The bible is very clear that politics is not ancillary to the Christian worldview:
“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Peter 2:13-17 ESV).[5]
We Christians are tasked to think about politics and culture and participate when necessary, which is pretty much all the time. The point of this article is to unmask the absurd but also to remind Christians that we think and vote with our minds, not our hearts. The Christian way of life is indeed love (1 Corinthians 13:13), but that love is buttressed with truth. Knowing when someone is manipulating you by pulling on your heartstrings is vital to worshipping God and loving one another in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).
It is incumbent upon us, as Christians, to decipher between the boobs of the Senate and the stalwarts of our political gain. This is not an easy task, and I pray that this platform illuminates and promulgates that truth whenever we find it. The first line of defense should be the local church, and if your church is bereft of this, either get involved and be an agent of change in that church or consider changing where you worship. As we have seen in the last ten years, persecution of Christians is coming, and many will succumb to this persecution and turn their backs on the true faith, i.e., the Episcopal Church. When the time comes and the world is watching, where will you stand?
For Our Nation
The Book of Common Prayer, pg: 657
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our
heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove
ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will.
Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and
pure conduct. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion;
from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our
liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes
brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with
the spirit of wisdom those to whom, in thy Name, we entrust
the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace
at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show
forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of
prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of
trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all of which we ask
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bibliography
Democratic US senator Booker takes on Trump in record-breaking speech | Reuters. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democratic-us-senator-cory-booker-takes-trump-marathon-speech-2025-04-01/.
“English Standard Version (ESV).” Logos Bible Software, 2016. https://www.logos.com/product/1587/english-standard-version?ssi=0.
“Filibuster – (Intro to Political Science) – Vocab, Definition, Explanations: Fiveable.” All 38 AP Subjects. Accessed April 3, 2025. https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/intro-to-poli-sci/filibuster.
“Filibuster.” Encyclopædia Britannica, March 15, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/topic/filibuster.
Ibrahim, Nur. “Cory Booker’s Marathon Senate Speech Broke Record, but It Wasn’t a Filibuster.” Snopes, April 2, 2025. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cory-booker-filibuster-senate/.
Footnotes:
[1] “Filibuster,” Encyclopædia Britannica, March 15, 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/filibuster.
[2] 1. Democratic US senator Booker takes on Trump in record-breaking speech | Reuters, accessed April 3, 2025, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democratic-us-senator-cory-booker-takes-trump-marathon-speech-2025-04-01/, 1.
[3] “Filibuster – (Intro to Political Science) – Vocab, Definition, Explanations: Fiveable,” All 38 AP Subjects, accessed April 3, 2025, https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/intro-to-poli-sci/filibuster.
[4] 1. Nur Ibrahim, “Cory Booker’s Marathon Senate Speech Broke Record, but It Wasn’t a Filibuster,” Snopes, April 2, 2025, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cory-booker-filibuster-senate/, 1.
[5] 1. “English Standard Version (ESV),” Logos Bible Software, 2016, https://www.logos.com/product/1587/english-standard-version?ssi=0.
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